Crossing the Continental Divide into British Columbia, we first visited Kootenay National Park where we hiked the scenic Marble Canyon trail, viewed Numa Falls, and found our first set of Parks Canada Red Chairs (a set of Adirondack chairs that are placed at some of the best viewpoints and areas of interest in all the Canadian National Parks). We stopped to observe the spiral railroad tunnels at Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any trains.
In Yoho National Park, we drove the scenic Yoho Valley Road and hiked to Takakkaw Falls (one of the highest waterfalls in Canada). Even though it was lightly raining, and the falls produced heavy mist, we all enjoyed the scenic hike to the falls. We also visited the Natural Bridge over the Kicking Horse River and stopped in the town of Field to mail some postcards.
Heading west to the town of Golden, we had quite an adventure as we hiked across the two highest suspension bridges in Canada at the Golden Skybridge. The bridges are 426 feet above the canyon and overlook waterfalls, the Columbia River Valley, and the Rocky Mountains. There was also a kids play area with tree forts, slides, swings, balance beams, and more that Elizabeth really enjoyed.
After driving through several snow sheds in Glacier National Park, we stopped to explore Rogers Pass National Historic Site (a replica of a railroad snowshed) and take in the breathtaking views from a nearby park. More snow sheds, impressive mountain peaks, and some nice waterfalls occupied our drive west until we arrived at Mount Revelstoke National Park. We drove the Meadows in the Sky Parkway up Mt. Revelstoke, but unfortunately snow was still lingering around the peak, so we couldn’t get all the way to the top. We did see some impressive wildflowers and views of the town of Revelstoke and the Columbia River before a storm rolled in and started pouring rain.
The next day we drove west to the Last Spike Monument in Craigellachie. This is the site where Canada's first transcontinental railway was completed in 1885. Next, we visited the Dutchmen Dairy in Sicamous to get some fresh cheese, milk, and to see the baby cows. After lunch in Kamloops, we drove to Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park near Chilliwack to view the spectacular waterfall and enjoy a hike in the rainforest. Continuing west across the Port Mann Bridge over the Fraser River, we entered Vancouver where we enjoyed the rest of the evening visiting the Gastown District and had a great waterfront meal at Steamworks Brewpub.
In Vancouver, we spent a morning walking along the waterfront to see the historic Canadian Pacific Railway Station, the Canada Place Cruise Ship Terminal, the Olympic Cauldron from the 2010 Winter Games, Vancouver Harbor, the Digital Orca sculpture, and many seaplanes, boats, and ships. In the afternoon we visited beautiful Stanley Park where we saw the nine Totem Poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, the Lions Gate Bridge, and had a nice picnic lunch.
Crossing the Lions Gate Bridge and heading north, we drove the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish where we rode the Sea to Sky Gondola up almost 2,800 feet to the summit, walked across the Sky Pilot Suspension Bridge, and enjoyed some nice hiking along the Spirit Trail and Panorama Trail. Several overlooks along the trails provided views of Howe Sound and the surrounding mountains. We also visited Shannon Falls Provincial Park to view the waterfall, which is the third largest waterfall in the province. In town, we toured the Railway Museum of British Columbia where Elizabeth enjoyed ringing the bells and sitting in the cabs of old steam engines such as the Royal Hudson, Tiffany had a great time riding the Mini-Rail Train, and we even got to ride to the workshops in a Budd Diesel Railcar. We ended the day (and our time in British Columbia) by returning to Stanley Park to take in some sunset views from Prospect Point.
We took the MV Coho / Black Ball Ferry Line across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria and spent a day walking the city to view the sights. While there, we visited the British Columbia Legislature Buildings, the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Christ Church Cathedral, Saint Andrews Cathedral, Chinatown, Fan-Tan Alley, and the Inner Harbour. We also toured Miniature World.
Benjamin traveled to Vancouver to depart on a cruise to Alaska. The cruise ship Norwegian Sun traveled along the coast of British Columbia until reaching the inside passage of Alaska. Near Fraser, he rode the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway into British Columbia at the White Pass Summit.